Elpis
The Elpis are a species of sapients native to the planet Alakla. They are at low-to-mid class IV in technology, with immense ships and highly advanced muskets and cannons. Physiology Elpis have six limbs- two legs, two arms and two tentacle-like appendages for swinging through ocean-jungle trees. Each are around 1.24 meters in height when not standing (1.91 when standing), with their first two arms measuring 67 centimeters, the second pair of limbs measuring at fifty centimeters, and the legs measuring at around seventy centimeters. Their body is practically a platform for the limbs to come off of, as it is just a rounded rectangular prism. Their arms end in two fingers, each around seven centimeters in length. The extra length allows further tool manipulation and enviroment scanning. The odd arrangement of their graspers makes their tools slightly different, although basic circular handles for swords and torches are basically the same. Unlike the arms, their legs end in a single platform. This provides much support, although most of it is mainly a thin membrane built over the bones. This weighs the Elpis down in the trees, so they are typicaly forced to stay on land in most scenarios. They have no mouth, instead having four tiny feeding tubes on either tentacle-arm. These are connected to a single eosophagus, and can only drink liquids or near-liquid solids. Instead, they communicate with slits on their legs, on top of the foot. This contains a strip of muscle which allows consonant vocalization, and a lung and thin trachea (both covered in bone) to allow vowels. Their limbs are made of strong muscles and few bones, although a basic support is given. Their muscly arms are backed up by the thick atmosphere of Alakla, which has a pressure above two atmospheres. However, their central body is made mainly of a thick ribcage. They have four eyes, one pair facing frontally from the body, and the other on the bottom. This allows them to both walk on all six of their limbs or in a bipedal stance. They typically close one pair of their eyes to see better, although when swinging through branches they typically use all four. Their eyes are red with the amount of blood going through the iris, due to the heart being close to both pairs. Their eyesight is tetrachromatic, with four kinds of cone cells recieving red, yellow, green, and purple. Reproduction Elpis are sexual, and lay eggs. They can be either male or female, while the female creates eggs in her womb. These take five months to be created, and another two months of careful attendance is required for the eggs to hatch. Labor only lasts an hour or so for a female Elpis, and is quite painless due to the small size of the egg, an elongated sphere three to six centimeters in diameter. These are laid in batches of one to five, while typically in the range of two or three. Diet Although their ancestors drank mainly juices of trees native to their habitat, Elpis can also liquidate meat and drink it using a poison. This allows expansion out of their native habitat, into places without the ocean-jungle trees. Intelligence and Society Elpis are not very advanced sapients, however with advanced domestication, metal alloys, gunpowder, industrialism, and intercontinental travel. Their logic capacity is slightly less than that of a human's, although they feel far more empathy and are extremely good at expressing ideas to others, allowing rapid development. Their brain is lighter, although more dense, than a human's, although rapid growth in this region has been seen through generations- encephalization quotients can increase so much as .05 per generation. Language Elpis language is far more expressive than English, with more than four times the words. Many of these are conjunctions of other words to expand towards other fields. This also allows far more coined terms in the language, as Elpis can gather information in a sentence quite well, learning the meaning of a word within a few times of its use. Their language is represented as an extremely fast arrangement of consonants and vowels, as some of their words can be up to seventy letters long when written in English, while they can say them in just above a second. Culture Elpis are separated into tribes, much like small countries. Most of these are meritocratic, with the most able-bodied and the smartest at the top. The wisest individuals, known as Pairos, are at the top of the system. The Morpairos is the leader of this council, with veto power, although not absolute power. Members of this have the name 'Loi' for males or 'La' for mailes in front of their name, to signify their positon. The Morpairos just adds 'Mor' in front, to have 'Morloi' or 'Morla' respectively. Loi wear a dark red robe, while Lai wear a light lavender one. The Morpairos wears either one of these, with crystal-embedded shoulder pads and a golden dagger. Pairos also own small amounts of land, although most is owned by the council as a whole. Elpis are encouraged to build and farm wherever they can, and attempt to expand their territory into unclaimed regions. Citizens above the age of fourty-two enter the Elrai council, who are less powerful than Pairos, although are more seasoned. The reason for them not being at the top (as they used to be) is the rapid growth in intelligence through generations. Males in this add 'Megoiro' in front of their name, and females have the name 'Megaira.' They wear a blue robe or a purple robe respectively. Elrai do not have much power, unlike the Soirainos council. This is an arrangement of the best at something in their civilization- master blacksmiths, generals, et cetera. This council can remove a member of the Pairos, as well as being the main judicial system for their tribe. Males wear have the name 'Ris' in front of their name, and females 'Rais.' They wear black or white robes respectively, occasionally with armor. Typical citizens wear grey or bland green robes, as they are not dyed. Some have dyed stripes to signify a civilization or military ranking, although this is not nearly as powerful as any of the councils. Names Elpis have three to four parts of a name, depending on their status. For members of councils, words shown above are used as a name before, followed by a casually known name, which is typically one of the shortest ones of their names. Their second or third name is earned from actions taken by the Elpis, as one who commited crimes would have a dishonoring name, and a 'hero' would have a honoring name. Their last is passed down and is rarely used. Examples include Morla Runa Poisaerarainos Na, a female tribal ruler, and Ris Koroi Ruiboiraosoigo Coiro, the master blacksmith of the same tribe. Religion The Elpis have a complex pantheon of gods, with the two main ones being Roitan and Moitag. They are constantly fighting for control of Alakla, although neither side is currently winning. Their two moons are evidence enough for them. Civilizations There are currently four major civilizations on the main continent of Alakla- The Great Empire of Maros, a militaristic empire allied with The Principality of Imoitos, managing the trade of their allies, The United Tribes of Masai, focussed on advancing technology with their small numbers to stand a chance in conflicts with other tribal nations, and The Rovasa Empire- belived to be a totally separate culture than other Elpis civilizations- they have different variations of Elpis technology, owning nearly all of the Kroifya plains and much of the layered grasslands. There are several alliances and conflicts between them, and all of them have hundreds of thousands of troops and hundreds of ships. There are nearly fifty other tribes on the planet, many being island nations, while some are subservient to the larger empires. Note- to any who want to join (it'll be something like the Wazel Wars), just talk Orang or Yuy. Have a basic summary and numbers of ships, and if it seems good enough (it probably will), you can join. Technology Elpis are regarded to be technological class IV, with gunpowder, metal alloys, and large waterships. Weaponry Elpis have several forms of weaponry, melee, ranged, and ship guns. Melee Weapons Melee weaponry has been implemented by this civilization for many millenia, typically blades and clubs. More recent ones are made of steels, while older versions are made of iron, copper, and bronze. Sidearms *'Erai daggers' are an older dagger design, made entirely of iron. They have a six centimeter blade, and a six centimeter handle, weighing around 570 grams. Their blade is less than half of a centimeter thick and nearly a centimeter wide. The hilt is made of wood, far more lightweight than iron typically used here. *'Moiai daggers' are the most common version, made mainly of steel. The blade is around eight centimeters in length, weighing 940 grams, with a six centimeter wooden handle. The blade is thinner than an Erai, although more than a centimeter wide. *'Aioras shortswords' are quite effective at their duty- taking down close-range targets. It has a fifteen centimeter bronze and iron blade, at a centimeter or so thick and two and a half centimeters wide, with a double-bladed edge. The weapon itself weighs around 4 kilograms, with most of the weight located around the bronze hilt, decorated with several plants, to allow balance required in delicate situations. *'Roioi shortswords' are also quite effective, although their are more focused on dealing area damage than direct damage, with much of the weight in the tip to provide momentum enabled with a leaf-blade. The blade measures around sixteen centimeters, with a steel edge to provide maximum cutting power. The base of the blade is around two and a half centimeters wide and a bit more than a centimeter thick, while the top is around three and a half centimeters wide and one and a half centimeters thick. The whole weapon wighs around 5 kilograms. Main Weaponry *'Rai clubs' are the oldest form of weaponry still in use. They are fifteen centimeter cast bronze clubs, weighing 15 kilograms. They can be used as main weaponry or sidearms, although are quite deadly to unarmored individuals, and even armored individuals can recieve heavy trauma and bone injury from being hit by these. *'Nosai clubs' are the most modern, developed only a few decades ago. They are twenty centimeter iron clubs, with spikes of steel around the top. They weigh around fourteen kilograms as well, with much of the weight concentrated at the front using a bronze charge, to provide more momentum to smash armor. *'Koirai curveswords' are exclusive to Elpis culture- they are only useful for severing limbs. One side has a flat end, around two centimeters thick, for blocking, while it thins out to less than a centimeter thick at the other end, which is quite curved. The blade is around twenty centimeters long, and two to four centimeters (as it gets wider towards the top.) The whole thing weighs around eight kilograms or so. *'Raisoro longswords' are each around thirty-two centimeters in length, weighing around nine and a half kilograms. The blade is steel-covered iron, having a traditional sword shape. The blade is around a centimeter thick, while being slightly more than two centimeters in width. *'Omoi longswords '''are designed for one-on-one combat, at thirty-four centimeters in length and a weight of around nine kilograms. The blade is around half of a centimeter thick, and less than two centimeters wide. It is made nearly completely of steel, with a bronze hilt and handle. *'Moros broadswords''' are designed for stronger Elpis, limiting agility while adding power in strokes. They have a length of around fifty-seven centimeters and a weight of around twenty kilograms. The blade width is around four centimeters, with a thickness of around 1.5 centimeters. The blade itself is made of lightened iron with sharp steel edges to slice through both muscle and bone. *'Ruis greatswords' are the largest Elpis swords, severely limiting agility and movement. The blade is around seventy centimeters in length- nearly the entire length of the Elpis, requiring the use of more than two limbs to hold and maneuver- typically four. The weapon weighs around thirty-six kilograms, with a blade width of around five and a half centimeters, and a thickness of around two. Ranged Weaponry Elpis ranged weaponry is at the level of the early 18th century. *'Ros guns' are one of the older designs of guns, placed as a simple iron barrel, on a wooden board for support. Gunpowder is loaded in before the bullet, and a fuse ignites the gunpowder to launch the bullet. The statistics are a 10 gram bullet at around 300m/s, delivering just above a tenth of a gram of TNT equivalent. The gun takes twelve seconds to fire. *'Boira guns '''have faster firing rates, but less powerful yields. The gun is loaded much like the Ros gun, although the wooden board is typically replaced by a bipod. This fires a five-gram bullet at 343m/s, delivering approximately 70 milligrams of TNT equivalent- although it only takes five seconds to fire, allowing more rapid firing, *'Merai guns''' are the largest of the single-operated infantry guns, launching a fifty-gram projectile to 254m/s. This delivers approximately 380 milligrams of TNT equivalent. However, this takes up to twenty seconds to fire, severely limiting rates. However, it still is extremely useful in battles with infantry charges. *'Daeros muskets '''are large muskets, useful in volley firing. They weigh around the same as a heavy longsword, firing four gram bullets at 160m/s. This delivers just above 12 micrograms of TNT equivalent per shot, taking six seconds to fire and a four-bullet magazine using a spring mechanism. They are held by an arm and a tentacle, resulting in better use in the trees. Ship Weapons Ship weapons are far more advanced than Elpis ranged weaponry, at around the level of early-19th century human ships. *'Kos cannons 'are the typical weapon used on ships, seen on corvettes to galleons. Each weighs slightly above two tons, made of cast iron, reinforced by a steel skeleton. It has two operators; a targeter and a cannon-loader. The cannon itself fires five kilogram (11-pounder) projectiles at 460m/s, delivering around 130 grams of TNT equivalent. It takes around ten seconds to fire, often firing in full broadside mode. *'Rosarai cannons 'are slightly larger cannons, designed for smashing in ship hulls and causing direct sinks. However, they are not very accurate and have a low effective range, so it is typically only used within a few hundred meters between ships. It fires twelve kilogram projectiles (26-pounder) at 430m/s, requiring a three ton bulk, producing 265 grams of TNT equivalent. It takes fourteen seconds to fire, although the heavier projectiles make it a hassle to load and do a basic systems check. *'Koisos guns 'are used on all ships, as anti-crew weapons. They each fire five-gram projectlies at around 390m/s, with a good sight for targeting close enemies. The bullet does not produce much kinetic energy, but its razor-sharp tip can easily cut through thin Elpis skin and muscle, making it somewhat of an early sniper- technology development estimations say that this form of gun will be quite prominent in the future of their civilization. Typical infantry guns are also used on ships. *'Mosirai cannons 'implement a grapeshot-type method, taking metal scraps either produced or taken from industrial waste, each weighing five to twenty grams. The shards of metal can easily slice through enemy sailors, slicing their bones and insides to pieces at up to 400m/s. However, this is not as effective on ship hulls. *'Seros cannons 'are not seen often on ships, as they are quite powerful. Each cannon has a weight of around four tons, as to launch their twenty kilogram payload (44-pounder) at 443m/s, delivering nearly half of a kilogram of TNT equivalent. They are extremely effective on most ship hulls, although prototype metal-hulled ships being launched (although they have extremely low speeds) are capable of taking multiple of these blasts due to their strong hull. *'Noiros cannons 'are also not as common, and are used for long-range combat. As most Elpis battles are close-range, this provides an advantage over approaching ships. This fires a ten kilogram payload (22-pounder) at nearly 650m/s, delivering more than half of a kilogram of TNT equivalent. The concentration of the force makes it brutal to ships at long range, as its effective range is over a kilometer. *'Katos guns '''are an interesting design, counting as cannons, although slightly inneficient and experimental. Initially, a typical ship cannon fires a fifteen-kilogram projectile (32-pounder) at 300m/s, although a secondary charge is activated by the gunpowder explosion forcing a fuse to ignite. This will propel it to 310-450m/s depending on the preciseness of loading, although it can be slowed down if loaded incorrectly. It is shaped much like a modern shell, designed not to transfer the kinetic energy, rather to penetrate. Some civilizations use more weaponry, but most non-militaristic ones typically only use this form. Travel Elpis have two main ways of travel- on backs of the larger Megalonoi or in large sailboats. Megalonoi, with their ten-meter bulks, can support up to twenty-five Elpis on wooden platforms, typically put into two decks. The lower deck is only around a meter and a half in height, carrying supplies for voyages, as well as ammunition. Two or three Elpis work here, managing cargo and bringing munitions to the surface. Due to the Elpis' lack of smell, bad-smelling food does not affect them. The second deck carries the weaponry and living quarters. In the front, there is typically a cannon of some sort, used for seiging cities. There are also typically a few guns there. On the sides, there are multiple small cannons and guns, for anti-personel or anti-Megalonoi attacks. The living quarters are on the back of this deck, armored by thin iron plates. This is the only place with windows, which are two layers of thick glass put in small holes. There are a total of three rooms in here- a sleeping quarters, a living quarters, and an eating room. There are different classes for these in all civilizations, although the use is quite widespread. Ships Elpis ships are quite large for their technological class, measuring from 8-75 meters in length. They are built of wood, often with an iron frame to prevent collapse from wear. They sail using immense tarps made of sewn moss, allowing them to reach speeds of nearly 30km/h if there is optimum sailing conditions. The timber hull does not provide much defense on ships, making them susceptible to damage. However, a more common way of empires losing ships is by capturing them through boarding- a single Megalonoi fortress (although this causes most ships to sink) could easily take over a ship if boarded. More recent ships have thin iron plating on their hulls, often decorated with bronze and copper ensigns. This allows them to take multiple hits- although weak points are still susceptible, i.e. welding points and gaps between plates. *Cutters are the smallest ship class, used only for support and transport. Each is around 8 meters in length, carrying 2-4 cannons and 7-11 guns. It has a single deck with no living space, so only has a crew reaching around fifteen. *Corvettes are the second smallest ship class, used for fighting small wars against and amongst smaller nations. Each is around 15 meters in length, with around 5-9 cannons and 13-17 guns. They have a single deck, which both the cannons, guns, and living quarters are on. Crews typically reach fourty-two crewmen, depending on the size and number of guns. *Ketch are also quite small, used for front lines with more broadside cannons than corvettes. They are each around 20 meters in length, with four or six cannons on either side, as well as a larger frontal cannon. They carry less guns, operating in longer rangest than most ships, carrying around 10 guns in total. Crews reach around fourty crewmen, requiring less due to the lower amount of guns. *Sloops-of-war are the first progression to true Elpis close-quarters ship combat, with more guns and heavy cannons. They are typically 26 meters in length, with two heavy cannons on either side, accompanied by two or four light cannons and up to 10 guns with them. They typically are the first options for metal plating, as they are expensive and heavily armed- not wanted to be sunk. Crews typically reach fifty-five crewmen, but can be less if there are less guns. These still only have one deck. *Frigates are large, at around 40 meters in length, with up to thirty broadside cannons and fifty guns in total, as well as four frontal cannons. These are used in large-scale wars, quite capable of destroying large amounts of smaller ships and bombardming settlements. Crews are typically around a hundred and twenty-five, quite crowded, although they have two decks- one gun deck and a living quarters and piloting deck. Some have iron plating. *Ship-of-the-lines are immense, measuring at around 60 meters in length. They are excelent in carrying high-caliber guns, leading to a development in empires of even bigger guns. Most carry around fifty-two or so cannons, as well as seventy-five guns, as they are strongly orientated towards destroying ships- they are used only in large-scale wars. Their crews can reach two hundred- more than three quarters of that gunmen. Some have iron plating, and have three decks- two gun decks and one living quarters, piloting, and storage deck. *Destroyers are the largest ships, despite their misleading name, at around 75 meters in length. Instead of being much like most civilization's ships, they are designed for all-rounded close combat attacks, with many heavy cannons and anti-personel guns. These ships each can carry up to eighty cannons and 130 guns, with crews of up to three hundred. These can easily take down a ship-of-the-line, although this makes them take some damage. If they have iron plating, it is extremely thin as to prevent the ship from becoming weaker than others. Settlements Elpis settlements are varied in size, from populations nearing a hundred thousand to only a few families. Large cities are built around the largest trees by rivers, where an immense tree is hollowed out and turned into a skyscraper measuring up to half of a kilometer in height. Other trees are cleared and processed into timber, being constructed into houses and workshops along with stone and the occasional iron plating. Houses are very stable, with thick walls to protect from attack. Stone fences are put up between different ten-family 'neighborhooods' as to prevent large amounts of buildings from burning down. In the case that multiple are burned, there are always at least fifty families' worth of homes able to replace them, with little cost. The average populus works in shipbuilding, fishing, farming, or other works, while some are doctors and teachers. There are no actual 'classes' based on different jobs, rather the skill in that job. For example, an expert miner would make far more money than an average doctor. Small cities are typically built in clearings by rivers or lakes, as shipbuilding cities. Inland are immense quantities of farmland, able to create the current Elpis population of more than a quarter of a billion. There are also inland mines, built by mineral deposits in hope of finding more of that mineral. Quarries are also seen to excavate building material- preferably minerals like granite or other smoothable stones. History The Elpis have recorded history for hundreds of thousands of years through pictures and eventually written language. The Elpis evolved sapience at around 2.405(.000) AM, starting as several tribes on their supercontinent. The oldest pictures found date back to nearly 3.050(.500) AM, showing that their development was initially quite slow. However, by 3.990(.000) AM, they began to expand to form their first large city, becoming a class III civilization. They were already beginning to domesticate animals, and had a population nearing a million. Their population reached 10 million by 3.992(.000) AM, and they then began to split off into separate factions. Cults such as the Cult of Thairos were extinguished around this time in an event known as the Supression, although some survived to this day. They reached class IV around 3.999(.056) AM, developing their first boats and metal alloys. A few decades later, the Great Empire of Maros and the Principality of Imoitos became allies. They developed gunpowder together around 700 years later, creating large cannons and guns to defeat enemies. They quickly conquered several smaller nations before encountering The United Tribes of Masai, who took the powerful technology, developing it into rifles far quicker than expected. They went to war for nearly two centuries, with no progress on either side. The Rovasa empire came onto the scene with its powerful technology (nearly half of a century ahead), stopping the war for a few decades. However, since Rovasa's withdrawl to the nothern reaches of Alakla, the war has re-emerged around a decade ago, in the form of the Grand Alaklan War. Category:Sapient Beings Category:Jungle Animals Category:Animals Category:Carnivores